Chapter 378: The Death of Chi Qiu Bai

Inside the Star Tower.

Dongbo Xueying in his red robes, Chao Qing, Mountain Master He, Chi Qiu Bai, Bu Chengzhu, Yu Jingqiu, and others were all present.

“There is no other path left,” Xueying Dongbo uttered with grim determination. “To shatter that obsidian blossom, we must seek swift ascension in power. My three forms of True Intent have all reached the pinnacle of the third tier—merely a breath away from the Divine Emperor’s Heart Realm… Once I transcend this barrier, my strength shall erupt like a tempest, granting me the power to annihilate that cursed flower. What I crave most now… is time!”

“With no one presiding over the Star Tower, it requires a full two hundred thousand Divine Crystals per year, and I’ve stored a total of six hundred thousand Divine Crystals here, so at the very least, it can be maintained for three years.” Dongbo Xueying continued, “Operating the Star Tower places a heavy burden on the soul. Right now, Jingqiu and Mountain Master He are operating it, and they can take turns resting! However, even so, operating the entire Star Tower still places a massive strain on their souls, and they can’t truly give their all to operate it at full capacity… So I hope Senior Chao Qing, and Elder Brother Changfeng, you two will also begin to study the formations of the Star Tower! You can share the burden with them!”

The formations of the Star Tower were extremely complex.

The more one exerted oneself, the more oppressive the soul burden became from manipulating multiple formations.

Therefore, they needed rest.

Even during operation, one couldn’t push too hard—just a moderate level of effort was sufficient.

“Alright,” Chao Qing nodded. “I just hope this old man’s strength is enough.”

“I will also do my best,” Chi Qiu Bai added.

“Good, just do your best,” Xue Ying Dongbo in crimson robes nodded. Though his cultivation realm was indeed profound, this Dou Qi avatar contained merely a wisp of his soul. Many intricate maneuvers required deliberation from his true form. At present, his original self was wholly immersed in cultivation, striving for an imminent breakthrough. Naturally, this Dou Qi incarnation couldn’t possibly disturb his true essence.

(Note: I’ve adjusted the name order to “Xue Ying Dongbo” to follow Western naming conventions while preserving the Chinese pronunciation. “Dou Qi” is transliterated as a cultivation term, and “crimson robes” enhances the fantasy aesthetic. The translation maintains the mystical cultivation atmosphere while flowing naturally in English.)

Immediately,

Yu Jingqiu and Mountain Master He took the lead, while Chi Qiu Bai and Chao Qing, who were not traditional mage-type warriors, also began to study the formations! After all, among the shorter ones, they were the taller ones… Although the two of them weren’t mages, their realms were still decent enough.

“Buzzzzz—” numerous formations began to operate, coordinating with each other, the power of Divine Crystals constantly flowing in cycles, thus minimizing consumption as much as possible.

“This is truly…” Chi Qiu Bai was somewhat awed.

“We’ve never studied formations before,” Chao Qing also gritted his teeth and began to comprehend them.

…

Time passed day by day.

The war had fallen into a stalemate. With the power of the Star Tower world suppressing them, the Demon God and Witch God couldn’t proceed with construction! They could only wait patiently… They knew very well how astonishingly high the consumption of Divine Crystals was for a twelfth-tier Star Tower. It wouldn’t be long before the Star Tower ran out of energy and could no longer be maintained. Therefore, they waited with great patience.

At the same time, the Witch God continued to play his musical instrument, not giving Dongbo Xueying a chance to cultivate in peace.

“It’s already been half a year since we trapped Dongbo Xueying,” suddenly the Demon God waved his hand, and the surrounding green-leaf space immediately sealed shut, making it impossible for outsiders to see inside. “It’s time to execute another plan.”

“Another plan?” The Witch God also stopped playing and looked toward the Demon God.

“A plan to accelerate the collapse of the Star Tower world,” the Demon God smiled slightly. “Witch God, let me introduce one of my subordinates to you.”

From among his subordinates, a mysterious figure wearing dark red armor and a bull-horned helmet stepped forward.

“Child, let the Witch God see you,” the Demon God said proudly.

The mysterious figure immediately lifted his mask, revealing a rather handsome face.

“Chi Qiu Bai?” The Witch God exclaimed.

Before Dongbo Xueying and Yuan Qing… He was the number one genius of the Xia Clan!

This face was indeed Chi Qiu Bai’s!

“Chi Qiu Bai, isn’t he inside the Star Tower?” The Witch God couldn’t help but ask.

“Did you forget about the art of creating a clone?” The Demon God laughed.

“You allowed him to cultivate the clone art?” The Witch God was greatly surprised. “When did he cultivate it? The clone art splits the soul into two, which greatly reduces one’s comprehension ability.”

The Demon God nodded. “This child, Changfeng, has high comprehension ability. If not for cultivating the clone art, his achievements would likely have been even greater.”

The Chi Qiu Bai in dark red armor stood silently without speaking.

“Back then, this child’s beloved died, and he went mad with grief, actually comprehending the embryonic form of the second-grade true intent, ‘Annihilation Intent.’ Such talent, I really liked it, so I helped him a bit,” the Demon God smiled. “This child’s wife also had great talent; I had already led her into the Dark Abyss… In my world, she exists temporarily in soul form, protected from destruction.”

“Annihilation Intent?” The Witch God was astonished. “Oh, so his publicly displayed mastery of Spatial Severance Intent was only a portion of his true strength?”

“Spatial Severance is merely a branch of Annihilation,” the Demon God nodded. “To allow him to hide deeply enough, I had him cultivate the clone art. His other body contains not a trace of demonic power, making it impossible for him to be exposed.”

“Understood,” the Witch God nodded. “Are you preparing to have him act now?”

“Haha, the war is nearly over, and the Xia Clan has little value left,” the Demon God nodded. “It’s time for this child, Changfeng, to act.”

“How will he act?” The Witch God asked curiously. “The Xia Clan is very cautious.”

“My guess is that the Xia Clan is now striving to operate the Star Tower, trying to conserve Divine Crystals to prolong the time,” the Demon God said. “Since Changfeng’s realm is high enough, if he publicly claims to have broken through and mastered the third-tier Divine Heart, Dongbo Xueying will certainly attempt to have Changfeng operate the Star Tower…”

“Dongbo Xueying shouldn’t allow them the chance to damage the Star Tower formations,” the Witch God said.

“As long as he can operate it, Changfeng will grasp the entire structure of the Star Tower—just as Dongbo Xueying’s Divine Flame effortlessly annihilated a branch fortress from within. The Star Tower… its outer shell is shielded by an impenetrable membrane wall, yet its interior remains vulnerable. Once he comprehends the layout, Changfeng can target its weaknesses, making a decisive victory entirely plausible.” The Demon God chuckled darkly. “Even if he fails, we lose nothing.”

The Witch God nodded.

From what he knew, the inside of the Star Tower indeed had many critical points, such as where Divine Crystals were stored, and the many central nodes of the formations…

“Child.”

The Demon God’s face, filled with flames, curled his lips upward as he looked at Chi Qiu Bai before him. “It’s just sacrificing one of your clones. I believe in your wisdom; you’ll give me some surprises! Go tell Dongbo Xueying that you’ve already broken through to the third-tier Divine Heart. Dongbo Xueying will certainly invite you to operate the Star Tower himself. He doesn’t have many capable helpers now.”

“Reporting to the Demon God,” Chi Qiu Bai respectfully said. “Dongbo Xueying has already allowed me to try operating it half a year ago.”

“Hahahaha…”

The Demon God’s body erupted in flames as he looked at the Witch God beside him. “Witch God, I told you so! There was no need for Changfeng to even claim he reached the third-tier Divine Heart; Dongbo Xueying already let him operate it. Haha, truly heaven is aiding me—”

BOOM!

Beside him, the respectful Chi Qiu Bai suddenly thrust out his right hand without warning. Wearing black armor, his hand seemed like a blade, carrying a wave of destruction, instantly piercing into the Demon God’s body.

Yet the Demon God’s body was like endless darkness.

Chi Qiu Bai’s hand passed through the Demon God’s chest, but the Demon God turned his head like a dark shadow, his eyes burning with crimson flames, and let out an angry growl: “Chi Qiu Bai, you dare betray me!!!”

With a wave of his hand, the Demon God began extracting Chi Qiu Bai’s soul from his body. His flame-filled hand grabbed Chi Qiu Bai’s soul, sizzling and crackling, as Chi Qiu Bai’s face twisted in rage.

“Do you not want to reunite with your wife?”

“She is waiting for you in the Dark Abyss. I promised you long ago, even making a Deep Vow for you… In the future, I will certainly let the two of you live together as husband and wife. I trusted you so much? Why do you betray me?” The Demon God was furious, while the Witch God stood beside him, sneering.

Chi Qiu Bai’s soul face twisted in rage, letting out a roar. His soul was powerful, and his voice echoed throughout the crimson leaf space: “Demon God, I was loyal to you back then to be with my wife forever. Even if you asked me to kill a few Xia Clan elites, I wouldn’t refuse. But… you asked me to betray the entire Xia Clan, to destroy the entire Xia Clan! From the day I learned of your plan, I knew I could never be with my wife again.”

For years,

Chi Qiu Bai had always carried a subtle sorrow. Sikong Yang, Dongbo Xueying, and others thought it was due to the emotional wound from back then. Who knew it was the constant guilt of being a member of the Demon God’s faction.

“You’ve also been watching me all along; you never told me about your clone body,” Chi Qiu Bai said darkly.

“I wasn’t watching you; I was watching all my subordinates,” the Demon God said coldly.

“Haha, I was waiting, waiting for the chance… Unfortunately, I never had a good opportunity to act. Even this Udumbara Holy Flower, I wanted to find its core and destroy it, but I couldn’t find any core,” Chi Qiu Bai roared. “Demon God, I never had the chance. But you still won’t win. I believe Snow Hawk will find a way. My Xia Clan will ultimately triumph.”

“I failed my wife.”

“But she was already dead back then; I’ll consider her dead! What I hate most is… never finding the opportunity.” Chi Qiu Bai gritted his teeth.

“For subordinates like you, I don’t fully trust any of them,” the Demon God said coldly. “Don’t worry, for betraying the vow, your soul will forever be under my control. I won’t kill you; I will torment your soul endlessly… Not only you, but also your wife. Both of your souls will suffer endlessly. All of this is because of your foolishness today.”

The Demon God grabbed Chi Qiu Bai’s soul, and due to the vow, Chi Qiu Bai couldn’t even self-destruct his soul.

“Demon God, it seems you overestimated the loyalty of your subordinates,” the Witch God laughed beside him.

“For the Xia Clan, he dared to throw everything away.”

The Demon God gritted his teeth. “Xia Clan? That damned Xia Clan!”

This incident left him feeling deeply humiliated!

…

Inside the Star Tower, Dongbo Xueying in red robes was gazing into the distance at the enormous black flower swaying in the desert. Trapped within that flower was his true self.

As time flowed like an enchanted river, his battle aura slowly dissipated into the twilight mist.

But the Dou Qi body had limited strength and lacked the Blood Blade, rendering it powerless.

“Sigh,” Dongbo Xueying softly sighed.

Suddenly, a message arrived at his communication ring.

“Snow Hawk, it’s me, Changfeng. I am the Third Priest of the Demon God Cult, my hands stained with blood, many Xia Clan lives on my conscience… I am a traitor to the Xia Clan…” It was a letter. As soon as Dongbo Xueying sensed it, his figure flashed instantly.

SWOOSH.

The aura-infused figure instantly appeared at Chi Qiubai’s dwelling.

Chi Qiu Bai, in his thick white robe, with flowing white hair, sat cross-legged in peace, but his soul was gone, leaving only his flesh body.

“Changfeng!” Dongbo Xueying clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling faintly. “Why… why did this happen… why… why…”